


Burdens and Other Blunders

by Fmnds



Category: Chicago Med
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-18
Updated: 2017-12-18
Packaged: 2019-02-16 09:25:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,785
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13051176
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fmnds/pseuds/Fmnds
Summary: A quiet night leads to some unexpected realizations.





	Burdens and Other Blunders

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Joanne_c](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Joanne_c/gifts).



> Happy Yule!
> 
> Thank you to Suburbansun for being my beta. Remaining mistakes are my own!

Connor Rhodes was tired. Which in and of itself was not unusual for a doctor. He was used to not sleeping. This tired though, it was something else. It was the weight of too many burdens. Connor closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He had to hold it together. He always held it together. 

 

He pulled the key out of the ignition and slid it into his pocket. He hurriedly grabbed his bag from the passenger seat. As he left his car and walked toward the brightly-lit entrance to Chicago Med, he felt a sense of calm wash over him. Tonight was his night to cover the ED for surgical. He anticipated a fast-paced schedule that would not allow for much thought at all, which was just what he needed.

 

Connor walked through the automatic doors and quickly scanned his surroundings. April was leaning against the nurse’s station, her cheek resting in her hand. Noah was sitting in the chair next to her, spinning in circles. Sarah was needlessly reorganizing a container of pens.

 

“Slow night?” Connor offered up in greeting while taking his jacket off, dusting the few snowflakes from his hair.

 

April glared at him in reply. 

 

“Not a single patient,” Noah answered, continuing to spin. April reached out and stopped the chair suddenly and Noah half-tumbled out of it, just catching himself on the edge of the desk.

 

Connor closed his eyes and sighed, then made his way toward the staff room to set his things down. 

 

An hour into his shift and Connor was beginning to wonder if some sort of apocalyptic rapture had taken place. How was it possible that not a single person had injured themselves tonight, or found themselves inexplicably ill? He had quickly run out of distractions. All of his charts were up to date. He’d made rounds on a few patients he had upstairs. There was literally nothing left to do.

 

Connor made his way back to the desk that April was still manning. She was staring straight ahead at the entrance.

 

“It’s really starting to come down,” she observed, not breaking eye contact with the steady flow of snowflakes beginning to pile up in just in front of the sliding doors.

 

“Is it wrong of me to wish for a ten-car pile up?” Connor replied.

 

As if on the cue, the doors burst open. They both looked up with eager eyes. A redhead decorated with snow greeted them. They both groaned. It was only Will.  April laid her head down on the desk. Connor grimaced; It was going to be a long night.

 

Will chuckled. “You guys sure know how to make a guy feel welcome.” He mock saluted them, then made a bee-line for the staff room. 

 

“Page me if anything comes in,” Connor said to April over his shoulder as he made his way to the staff room as well.

 

Connor walked into the lounge and went over to the sink to splash water on his face. As he patted his face dry with a towel, he noticed that Will was sitting on the couch, mindlessly flipping through a magazine. A magazine called  _ Whittle. _

 

Connor couldn’t help himself. He grinned. “Whittling?”

 

Will glanced up and gave Connor a nod of hello. “I am going to the learn to whittle.”

 

“Whittle?”

 

“You know, the act of cutting small pieces of wood off in such a way…” Will began,  eyes still trained on the magazine.

 

Connor cut him off. “I know what whittling is. I guess what I should have asked was why. Why are you learning to whittle?”

 

“It's something my dad used to do. Not so much anymore. You know, since his heart problems.” Will shook his head and continued. “It's just one of those really cool guy things that I wish I knew how to do, ya know?" 

 

Will reached down next to him and pulled up what Connor assumed was his new project. Will narrowed his eyes at the lump of wood in his hand. It resembled something with four legs, but only vaguely.

 

“ That’s…” Connor started.

 

“A huge piece of shit,” Will finished for him, laughing. “God, I suck.”

 

“Nah, you’re just an amateur,” Connor replied, leaning against the sink.

 

“Which is a nice way of saying I suck.” Will laughed. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a pocket knife. “See I think part of the problem is that I don’t have the steadiest hand. Which, of course, is not a confession a doctor should be making.”

 

Will furrowed his brow in concentration and began to slowly shave off little curls of wood.

 

“At least you’re not a surgeon,” Connor observed. Will chuckled and continued  to painstakingly scrape the blade of the knife against the wood .  Connor watched him intently, entranced by the movements of his hands.  _ Maybe I need a hobby, too _ , Connor thought to himself.

 

“So... you’re on the pursuit of becoming a manlier man?” 

 

Will smiled self-deprecatingly down at the lump of wood in his hands. “Something like that.”

 

Connor nodded his head. "Well, I guess that explains..." He motioned in the direction of the scruff growing on Will's face.

 

Will's neck flushed every so slightly pink.  " See, I don't know how I'm supposed to take that. "

 

Connor's eyes momentarily sparkled as he let out an unexpected burst of laughter. "Honestly? I like it. Suits you.”

 

Will flushed a little more this time and then mumbled just audibly, “Good to know someone does.” He ducked his head down and returned his focus to the woodblock.

 

Connor smiled uneasily. He wasn’t in the mood to play therapist tonight. He cleared his throat. “I guess I should go and see if any patients have trickled in.”

 

As Connor made his way toward door, a giant boom sounded and the room suddenly went black.

 

“Son of a bitch!” Will shouted. Connor heard the  _ clunk clunk _ of what he assumed was Will’s wood and knife tumbling to the floor. The backup generators whirred on, and a dim light filled the room. Connor immediately looked over to see Will was hunched over, holding his hand tightly and gritting his teeth.

 

“Halstead, you okay?” Connor asked, crossing the room quickly and kneeling down in front of him.

 

“Dandy,” Will spit out.

 

“Let me see,” Connor coaxed while gently trying to get Will to ease off his tight grip on his hand.

 

“Jesus,” Will said, slowly releasing his hand, opening his palm slowly toward Connor and looking up at the ceiling, a shimmer of tears in his eyes. “You’d think being a doctor I wouldn’t be such a damn baby about my own blood, but here we are.”

 

Connor looked closely at the cut in Will’s hand. “It’s not too deep. I don’t think there will be any real damage. You probably could do with a couple of stitches. I could get someone from plastics down here, if you want.”

 

“Ah yes, because I’m so into my appearance.” Will laughed while still avoiding looking at his injury. “Why don’t you go ahead and sew me up.”

 

Connor nodded. “I’ll go get the supplies, but first we need to stop this bleeding.” He glanced around for something to put on Will’s hand. He spied a roll of gauze sitting on the edge of the counter and grabbed it. He knelt back down in front of Will and began gently wrapping his hand.

 

Will glanced at Connor. “You know, I am not sure I ever really thanked you for helping out with my dad.”

 

“‘Course you did,” Connor replied, focused on not wrapping the bandage too tight.

 

“Without you, my dad would probably be dead, and I probably would have bled out from a minor hand wound.” Will chuckled self-deprecatingly.

 

Connor finished wrapping Will’s hand, but continued to hold it in his own. He avoided eye contact with Will as he said, “You don’t give yourself enough credit, Halstead. I know you think you’re a joke, but you’re really not.” 

 

Connor felt Will’s other hand come to rest on top of his. In that moment, everything seemed to be in slow motion, and Connor couldn’t really be sure how much time was passing. He heard the clock tick, felt the soft puffs of air from Will’s mouth, just inches away from his own. He felt Will’s thumb make slow sweeps across the top of his hand. He felt his own heart racing.

 

The door burst open suddenly and Connor jumped to his feet. Will’s bandaged hand fell to rest on the couch. 

 

April was at the door. She raised an eyebrow and said nothing, except, “Looks like you got your wish, Dr. Rhodes. We’ve got multiple injuries from a car crash incoming in about 5.” She left the room and softly closed the door behind her.

 

“Guess those stitches aren’t happening anytime soon.” Will’s voice sounded slightly hoarse, and he cleared his throat. “Nearly two hours passed without a single patient and now that I’m one hand down and we’re running on less than full power, they come flying in.” 

 

Connor smiled weakly at Will and cleared his throat. “Yeah, maybe find a glove or something. Without stitches, you’re likely to bleed for a while.”

 

“Yeah, thanks for the tip,” Will replied, glancing down at the gauze on his hand, already starting to spot slightly with red.

 

Connor walked towards the door and reached for the handle. He paused and did not look up as he said, “I meant what I said, Will. You’re not a screw-up.”

 

“For what it’s worth, neither are you, Connor,” Will replied softly as he got up off the couch and slowly walked over until he stood just behind Connor. “Maybe the the others haven’t seen the look in your eyes lately, but I’ve noticed. I don’t pretend to know what you’re going through, but I’m here if you need me.”  Will reached out and slid his unbandaged hand over Connor's shoulder, his thumb tracing circles on the skin just beneath his collar

  
  


Connor’s heart pounded. He knew exactly what would happen if he turned around and faced Will. He took a deep breath and resolved to turn in 3, 2, 1-

 

The door jerked open and Connor fell straight into April, who yelped at the unexpected bombardment. 

 

She shoved Connor off her and quickly said, “Hurry, they just pulled in!”

 

Connor took off at a jog towards the doors to the ED, sparing a glance back at Will, who gave him a sad smile. As the gurney came into view and he barked out orders, Connor felt himself becoming lost in the work. Thinking briefly of Will, he wasn’t so sure that’s what he wanted anymore.


End file.
